Fight Hunger Build Hope is an opportunity to advance our vision about how food banks work in our community. We’re more than short-term emergency food resources. While that is the case for some of our customers, for many others, we are a necessary part of everyday life. We want to leverage our relationships with these families to help them create pathways to an improved economic well being. We’ll do this through the lens of food and nutrition, and we’ll do this by leveraging the partnerships with other service providers that we’ve built over the years.

Imagine a visit by a new customer family to our new food bank once it’s open for business in 2016.

Coming into The Food Bank through our big front door on Roosevelt Way, this family will walk inside, and sit in a simple but comfortable indoor waiting area – no steps to negotiate and no waiting outdoors in bad weather. After a brief conversation with our front desk volunteer, this family will have a quick visit with a benefits outreach volunteer in a private counseling room. They’ll get information about any number of things like food stamp benefits, free summer meals for their kids, and a discounted cell phone plan.

Next, the family starts shopping through wide aisles and past a well-stocked produce area. The produce area is full of fresh fruit and vegetables because we no longer need to turn away perishable donations for lack of space, and because we’re growing our own vegetables in our new 3,000 square foot rooftop garden.

While shopping, the family samples a sweet potato, kale and peanut butter soup made by a nutritionist and offered right next to the veggie display. Because the kids really like it, they take home a recipe card and the ingredients for the soup. Plus, they sign-up for a drop-in cooking class for later that week at The Food Bank to learn how to cook other simple, healthy meals that can be made in bulk and provide tasty leftovers.

The shopping trip is stress-free and doesn’t take long because they have plenty of elbow-room to get around and easy access to the shelves. Leaving The Food Bank, this family gets their groceries bagged up and wave good-bye to the volunteers. On their way out, they see the library next door, remember they have books on hold there, and duck in to grab them.

This vision of how we can work is a compelling one. Many in our community agree.

Invite a Food Bank speaker to your club, community group, church group, PTA or any other organization that you belong to that could benefit from learning about this campaign.

Host your own open house in your business, home, or at The Food Bank to raise awareness and funds for the campaign. We even created a House Party Kit to help you host a successful event.

If you want to participate in any or all of these ways or if you just want to learn more, please be in touch. Your continued support of our work has helped our hungriest neighbors remain fed; your support of the Fight Hunger Build Hope campaign will enable us to amplify the strength of your past investments in new and important ways.

University District Food Bank is in the midst of a three-year, $3.25 million capital campaign, Fight Hunger Build Hope,designed to build a larger, more efficient facility —expanding our capacity to provide nutritious food to families in need in addition to greater access to community resources.

The University Kiwanis Club and University Kiwanis Foundation have supported the University District Food Bank since its inception nearly 30 years ago. They are proud to support the Fight Hunger Build Hope capital campaign with a $50,000 gift. They have also pledged an additional $50,000 as matching grant to be paid when The Food Bank raises $50,000 in capital gifts from local organizations and small businesses.

To achieve this matching goal, The Food Bank is turning to our neighborhood supporters including local businesses, religious groups, and community councils. Individual donations from members of these groups will also be included towards the Kiwanis match. Please help us realize this match!

Visit www.udistrictfoodbank.org for more information about The Food Bank and the Fight Hunger Build Hope capital campaign, and to make a donation. When making a gift online, please include the name of the council you’re a member of in the “Comments/Other” field. Or, checks can be mailed to the University District Food Bank at 4731 15th Avenue NE, Seattle WA 98105.

Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. If you are interested in learning more about the campaign or making a pledge, please contact Joe Gruber, Executive Director, at 206.523.7060 or joe@udistrictfoodbank.org.

The YouthCare apartments and the ability to integrate The Food Bank with other health care and social service providers. This helps get rid of the shotgun approach to our people in need.
2. How long have you been supporting the UDFB and why?

We found out about The Food Bank when my sister started working there in the 2000’s. She told me about your programs and what you do, and I got excited because hunger in our country in this day and age is unacceptable. In 2008, we started giving our “Milk Money” donations — $2,500 every five weeks for the Food Bank to buy fresh milk. We like knowing that milk is always available for Food Bank shoppers.

3. What would you tell someone thinking about making a gift to Fight Hunger Build Hope?

Anyone who has the means should remember that others who don’t are really suffering and in almost all cases, it’s no fault of their own that they’re in need. The “pull themselves up with their bootstraps” mentality is so ridiculous. Those bozos need to put themselves in the bootstraps of others.

A big thanks to the many community councils, neighborhood residents, businesses and church groups that have contributed to our $50,000 challenge grant from the University Kiwanis. We are already more than half way to our match goal. This is amazing progress but we still need your help. If you are a business owner in Northeast Seattle, and you are interested in learning how your gift to our capital campaign can be doubled then please contact Joe Gruber, our Executive Director and he would be happy discuss this with you.